News/public Information

1-15-15

New Implied Consent Policy Documents

Effective January 1, 2015, Implied Consent matters (concerning petitiions to reinstate Drivers License privileges) in Civil Court will be handled differently. Attorneys and litigants affected by these new policies should review the policy documents posted in the Implied Consent section of the Civil Assignment (Scheduling) page of this site.

12-29-14

Sara Grewing and Nicole Starr appointed to the 2nd District Bench

Governor Mark Dayton announced the appointments of Sara R. Grewing and Nicole J. Starr as District Court Judges in Minnesota’s Second Judicial District. Ms. Grewing and Ms. Starr will be replacing the Honorable Paulette K. Flynn and the Honorable Gregg E. Johnson, who retired earlier this year. Both appointees will be chambered at St. Paul in Ramsey County.

Ms. Grewing is the St. Paul City Attorney, where she serves as the chief prosecutor for all misdemeanors within the city, oversees all civil litigation, and provides legal counsel to the Mayor and City Council. Previously, she was Chief of staff to the Mayor of St. Paul, the State Director for United States Senator Amy Klobuchar, and an associate attorney at Flaherty and Hood, PA. Ms. Grewing earned her BM from the University of Minnesota and her JD from William Mitchell College of Law.

Ms. Grewing is a member of the Board of Trustees for William Mitchell College of Law, the Board of Directors for the Saint Paul Public Schools Foundation, and the President’s Leadership Circle of Minnesota Women Lawyers.

Ms. Starr is an Assistant Public Defender in the Second Judicial District Public Defender’s Office, where she specializes in forensic science. She is also of counsel at Hellmuth and Johnson, PLLC, and previously served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Katherine D. Roe in Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District and the Honorable Justice Zakeria Mohammed Yacoob in the Constitutional Court of South Africa. Ms. Starr earned her BA from the University of Minnesota and her JD from the University of Minnesota Law School.

Ms. Starr is a former board member of the YWCA of the USA and is currently an executive board member of the Minnesota Asian Pacific American Bar Association.

12-3-14

New Judicial District Administrator Appointed in Ramsey County

Chief Judge Teresa R. Warner has appointed Heather M. Kendall as District Administrator of the Second Judicial District. The appointment was approved by the Minnesota Judicial Council on Nov. 20, and is effective Jan. 5, 2015.

Heather Kendall has worked in Minnesota’s First Judicial District since 2002; first as a court operations supervisor, and then as a court operations manager in Dakota County District Court. She became Deputy Court Administrator in Dakota County in 2007, and since 2012 has been the Court Administrator for Scott County District Court. She has also served on the Policy 800 Access Program Advisory Panel and the Advisory Committee on the General Rules of Practice. Prior to joining the Branch, Kendall was an associate attorney at Brown & Carlson, P.A. in Minneapolis.

She received training though the International Law Program at the University of Innsbruck in Austria in 1998 and received her law degree from William Mitchell College of Law in 2000. She was also named a Certified Court Manager in 2010 by the National Center for Court Management.

As District Administrator, Kendall will oversee the administrative affairs of the district, including management and processing of all court records and files; district budgeting and accounting; human resources; and maintenance of the district’s computer network.

She will replace Lawrence K. Dease, who retired in November after serving as Second Judicial District Administrator for nearly 15 years.

8-29-14

American Board of Trial Advocates Honors Judge John Van de North as Trial Judge of the Year

The Minnesota Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) presented Judge John Van De North with its 2014 Trial Judge of the Year Award at the Chapter’s Annual Meeting on August 21 in Minneapolis. The award recognizes outstanding service and the promotion of integrity and civility in the courtroom, and recipients are chosen by Minnesota ABOTA’s Executive Committee.

Judge Van de North was recognized for his contributions as district court judge for 16 years. In the words of ABOUTA President George Soule, "He supports the right to trial by jury and has tried countless cases, including many high-profile civil and criminal matters, in a fair, impartial, and professional manner. He promotes integrity and civility among all parties in his courtroom, and he is recognized by his colleagues as a judge’s judge, in that he is always available for advice and mentoring.”

ABOTA is an organization of experienced and ethical trial lawyers. Its mission is to preserve the right to a civil jury trial guaranteed by the 7th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and to elevate the standards of integrity, honor, ethics, civility, and courtesy in the legal profession. For more information, contact George Soule, President, Minnesota ABOTA, (612) 251-5518, gsoule@soulestull.com.

7-25-14

Thomas A. Gilligan, Jr. Appointed to Fill Second Judicial District Vacancy

Governor Mark Dayton announced the appointment of Mr. Thomas A. Gilligan, Jr. as District Court Judge in Minnesota’s Second Judicial District. Mr. Gilligan will be replacing the Honorable Gail Chang Bohr, who retired earlier this year. Mr. Gilligan will be chambered at St. Paul in Ramsey County.

“Thomas Gilligan’s decades of legal experience and history of service to his community have prepared him well for this important position,” said Governor Dayton. “I am confident Mr. Gilligan will serve the people of the Second Judicial District with integrity and excellence.”

Mr. Gilligan is a shareholder and trial lawyer with the law firm of Murnane Brandt, where he has practiced for 24 years in civil litigation, focusing on personal injury, toxic tort, and employment discrimination matters. He also serves as a guardian ad litem with the Ramsey County Guardian Ad Litem Program, and is a former adjunct professor at the University of St. Thomas Law School. Mr. Gilligan earned his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his J.D. from the William Mitchell College of Law.

Mr. Gilligan is a volunteer attorney for the Tubman Safety Project and a board member of the St. Paul Blackhawks Soccer Club and the Sanneh Foundation.

4-29-14

Hon. John H. Guthman signed an Order Granting Petition for and Issuing a Writ of Quo Warranto yesterday in Civil Case 62-CV-13-7718 entitled, "Minnesota Voters Alliance, Minnesota Majority, Minnesota House of Representative Steve Drazkowski, Minnesota House of Representative Ernie Leidiger, Minnesota House of Representative Mary Franson, and House of Representative Jim Newberger vs. State of Minnesota, and Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, in his official capacity, or his successor." The case involves the creation of an on-line voter registration tool permitting prospective voters to deliver their voter registration applications electronically.

11-22-2013

Jennifer L. Frisch Appointed to Fill Second Judicial District Vacancy

Governor Mark Dayton announced the appointment of Ms. Jennifer L. Frisch as District Court Judge in Minnesota’s Second Judicial District. Ms. Frisch will be replacing the Honorable Kathleen R. Gearin, who retired earlier this year. The judgeship will be chambered at St. Paul in Ramsey County. Press Release

9-1-2013

Fee Changes

Recently, the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners approved the Ramsey County Law Library Board of Trustees to an increase in Law Library Fees as follows: increase all civil fees, including probate, from $10.00 to $15.00; increase all criminal fees from $5.00 to $10.00, and an added $3.00 fee for parking violations, effective September 1, 2013.

These fees are specific to the Second Judicial District (Ramsey County) only.

All Criminal convictions after September 1, 2013 are subject to the fee increase. Any filings postmarked prior to September 1, 2013 will not be subject to the fee increase.

8-26-2013

Judges Van de North and Guthmann publish Condemnation Proceedings Policies and Procedures for 2nd District

Condemnation Commissioner policies and procedures of the Second Judicial District, consistent with the law governing eminent domain proceedings and Minnesota General Rules of Practice, define the duties and responsibilities of the court, petitioners and commissioners in eminent domain proceedings. Future updates will be posted to the Condemnation Proceedings page of this site.

7-11-2013

Jeffrey M. Bryan Appointed to Fill Second Judicial District Vacancy

Today, Governor Mark Dayton announced the appointment of Mr. Jeffrey M. Bryan as District Court Judge in Minnesota’s Second Judicial District. Mr. Bryan will be replacing the Honorable J. Thomas Mott, who retired earlier this year. The judgeship will be chambered at St. Paul in Ramsey County.

"I am very pleased to appoint Mr. Jeffrey Bryan to serve Minnesota’s Second Judicial District,” said Governor Dayton. “Throughout his career, Mr. Bryan has demonstrated an exemplary commitment to justice. His extensive legal experience, strong knowledge of the law, and commitment to public service have prepared him well to carry out his judicial duties with excellence.

Mr. Bryan currently is an Assistant United States Attorney, where he prosecutes white collar defendants, violent gangs, drug trafficking organizations, and career criminals. Previously, Mr. Bryan was an Associate Attorney at Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi, specializing in complex civil litigation. After law school, Mr. Bryan served as a law clerk for the Honorable Paul A. Magnuson, U.S. District Court Judge. He received his B.A. with highest honors from the University of Texas at Austin and his J.D. from Yale Law School.

Additionally, Mr. Bryan is an active member of the Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association, and previously served on the Macalester-Groveland Community Council and chaired the Minnesota Minority Recruiting Conference Committee for Twin Cities Diversity in Practice

7-8-2013

$3.00 eService Fee Eliminated

The Minnesota Judicial Branch is pleased to announce that, effective Monday, July 8, 2013, the $3.00 fee for eService has been eliminated. eService, which allows litigants who eFile their cases to serve other parties via email, is a service of the Minnesota Judicial Branch’s eCourtMN Initiative. If you have questions regarding this information, please contact the eFile Support Center.

The $2.00 Technology Fee will be added for each of the following fees assessed in the case:

(1) In every civil action or proceeding in said court, including any case arising under the tax laws of the state that could be transferred or appealed to the Tax Court, the plaintiff, petitioner, or other moving party shall pay, when the first paper is filed for that party in said action, a fee of $310, except in marriage dissolution actions the fee is $340.The defendant or other adverse or intervening party, or any one or more of several defendants or other adverse or intervening parties appearing separately from the others, shall pay, when the first paper is filed for that party in said action, a fee of $310, except in marriage dissolution actions the fee is $340.The party requesting a trial by jury shall pay $100….(2) Certified copy of any instrument from a civil or criminal proceeding, $14, and $8 for an uncertified copy.(3) Issuing a subpoena, $16 for each name.(4) Filing a motion or response to a motion in civil, family, excluding child support, and guardianship cases, $100.(5) Issuing an execution and filing the return thereof; issuing a writ of attachment, injunction, habeas corpus, mandamus, quo warranto, certiorari, or other writs not specifically mentioned, $55.(6) Issuing a transcript of judgment, or for filing and docketing a transcript of judgment from another court, $40.(7) Filing and entering a satisfaction of judgment, partial satisfaction, or assignment of judgment, $5.(8) Certificate as to existence or nonexistence of judgments docketed, $5 for each name certified to.(9) Filing and indexing trade name; or recording basic science certificate; or recording certificate of physicians, osteopaths, chiropractors, veterinarians, or optometrists, $5.(10) For the filing of each partial, final, or annual account in all trusteeships, $55.(11) For the deposit of a will, $27.(12) For recording notary commission, $20.(13) Filing a motion or response to a motion for modification of child support, a fee of $100.The technology fee will be placed in a special revenue account, to be administered by the Minnesota Judicial Council, and will be used to fund justice system technology projects.

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